NEWS
American stables to campaign runners in Dubai
Posted: Tuesday, October 08, 2002
Two successful American-based racing stables plan to become the first to establish fulltime satellite operations in the United Arab Emirates when the racing season begins in that Middle East nation later this month.
West Point Thoroughbreds, the racing partnership group created by Terry Finley in 1991, and Jim Chapman, who has helped develop such top runners as two-time Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1) winner Caller One, both said they will have bases in Dubai this year.
Finley, who candidly admitted to a few jitters about the possibility of war in the region, said he has overcome any nerves with feelings of excitement. He planned to attend the Pearls of Dubai International Sale at Nad al Sheba racecourse on October 12 to buy several juveniles who will be kept in Dubai to race for the season.
"We are excited about it," said Finley, adding that Dubai's plans to simulcast races to the United States encouraged him to make the move since simulcasting will make it easier for clients to keep up with their horses. "It's kind of a new frontier."
Chapman said he will take ten horses to Dubai, where he will be based in the International Stables at Nad al Sheba. Western Pride, winner of the 2001 Ohio Derby (G2) who competed in last year's Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1), could be in the group.
Since Emirates Racing Association subsidizes racing to attract international competitors, the cost of training a horse in Dubai is only about $800 a month. Purses for races other than stakes average $21,700, and the average earnings per start for horses that raced in Dubai last year was $2,100, said Jim Cornes, Emirates North American representative.
Emirates plans to offer 22 Thoroughbred stakes races at Nad al Sheba during the 25 racing days in the 2002-'03 racing season, not including the six Thoroughbred stakes worth a total of $15-million on the March 29 Dubai World Cup program. Those 22 stakes will be worth a total of $2,780,137, an average of $126,370.
"We're going to put a partnership together with some of our clients in America," Finley said while noting the financial opportunities. "And we're going to have a get-together with American companies who have executives [in Dubai] who might have some money to invest."
West Point currently includes about 225 investors and lists 31 horses on its Web site.
Meanwhile, Chapman is the only American trainer to be directly involved with two winners on the World Cup program other than Bob Baffert, who saddled World Cup winners Silver Charm (1998) and Captain Steve (2001). Chapman works closely with his son, trainer James Chapman, who was listed as the official trainer of Caller One.—Michele MacDonald
